Cats and dogs recovering from surgical care in hallways. Dogs awaiting surgery in crates in the garage. Private conversations with clients in distress, taking place in public lobbies.
Sadly, these are some of the familiar scenes taking place at the Georgian Triangle Humane Society (GTHS) on a daily basis.
“We are feeling the urgent needs of our community now more than ever before,” says Karen Marsh, executive director of the GTHS. “With a rapidly growing population comes an exponential increase in the number of stray dogs and cats coming to the Animal Centre in need of medical intervention and shelter. Community outreach services are also in high demand. Pet owners are struggling to keep up with rising costs and housing insecurity. Demands for accessibly priced vaccinations, spay/neuter surgeries and emergency medical support are at an all-time high.”
For nearly 20 years, the GTHS has provided care and shelter to the homeless, hungry, and injured animals of the south Georgian Bay region.
The Animal Centre, located on Tenth Line in Collingwood, contains a fully accredited Companion Animal Hospital - one of the only accessible spay/neuter hospitals serving Bruce, Grey, and part of Simcoe County. Built in 2011, the current facility is 6,000 square feet and was designed to support 500 animals. Last year alone, the organization took in more than 1,500 homeless animals, facilitated upwards of 1,300 adoptions, performed nearly 3,000 spay/neuter surgeries, provided 1,900 rabies vaccines to keep pets safe from disease, and offered concentrated community programs to help keep over 3,000 animals out of the shelter system and with their families where they belong.
“At the moment, we cannot continue to sustain operations in our current facility,” adds Marsh. “Our building is not suitable as a facility to keep up with the volume of animals, or the demand for our services. Pressure for space to safely deliver programs and services for pets and people mounts, and our future to continue supporting our community is in jeopardy”.
In order to maintain operations, the GTHS has identified the urgent need for a better future, embarking on a project to build a new, state-of-the-art Regional Centre for Pets and People.
Annually, the proposed 19,000-square-foot facility aims to shelter over 3,000 animals, provide 8,500 spay/neuter surgeries, and foster hope during sudden crises to over 2,200 people. Construction is slated to begin in the summer of 2024, pending successful fundraising efforts. In the absence of any federal or provincial funding, the GTHS is relying on the generosity of local municipalities, businesses, and individuals to help make this dream a reality.
“We are working hard to engage community members in this essential project and raise awareness for the wellness it will bring to pets and people,” says Melanie Pockaj, certified fundraising executive for the GTHS. “The GTHS is a critical resource for our community, but to continue the lifesaving work we do every day, we need your support.”
The vision of a new Animal Centre in the South Georgian Bay region is a testament to the collective community commitment to creating a better, more compassionate future for both animals and people.
Community support, whether big or small, will offer hope to our community for the next 25 years and beyond. The David and Helen Capin Regional Centre for Pets and People will be a community hub where youth find companionship and learn about the human-animal bond, where seniors find purpose, where animals find safety, and members of the community find meaningful employment and volunteer opportunities.
To learn more about the new Regional Centre for Pets and People, or to get involved, you can visit the Regional Centre for Pets and People web page by clicking here.
